How Personalized Pet Care Offers Are Transforming Grocery Loyalty 2025

Personalized Pet Care Offers: More Than Just a Perk

For today’s pet parents, dogs and cats aren’t just animals, they’re family. And that’s exactly why personalized pet care offers are becoming a powerful loyalty driver in retail.

Pet specialty stores like Petco and PetSmart have long tapped into this bond, offering personalized product suggestions, targeted promotions, and membership perks that reflect a deep understanding of pet needs. These experiences have set the bar for what pet owners expect when they shop.

And the opportunity isn’t limited to grocery. Pet retailers can also go further.

Petco and PetSmart already offer membership models and exclusive deals, but there’s room to evolve beyond generic coupons. With the right data strategy, they can:

• Recognize a shift in food brand or pet health needs
• Offer seasonal support (e.g., anxiety relief during fireworks, allergy season)
• Anticipate repurchase timing and automate personalized nudges

By layering loyalty data with pet behavior patterns, specialty retailers can create proactive engagement moments that feel personal, helpful, and even caring.

Now, other retailers are catching on. Grocery chains, for instance, have traditionally personalized deals around human behavior but what if you personalized for the paws too?

Pet care decisions are deeply emotional, often rooted in health, trust, and routine. When a retailer acknowledges that bond and reflects it back through relevant offers, the message is clear: “We know what matters to you.”

The Pet Care Boom Meets Grocery Loyalty

U.S. consumers are spending more on pet care than ever before. According to  APPA, nearly 67% of households own a pet, and pet-related expenses topped $136.8 billion in 2022.

From high-protein dog food to eco-friendly cat litter, shoppers regularly add pet care to their grocery carts. Yet few retailers recognize this overlap and fewer still use it to deepen loyalty.

But this presents a unique opportunity. Pet care isn’t just a category; it’s a trigger for broader value perception. Tailored pet offers often result in multi-category lifts, as shoppers engage with the store on a more frequent and meaningful level.

AI and Pet Personalization Are Already Happening

The pet industry is already making moves. In a recent Pet Food Industry article, PawCo shared how they use AI to create tailored dog food based on individual dietary needs.

“PawCo is using AI to craft plant-based dog food designed around a dog’s specific health profile.”

This level of personalization isn’t just novel, it’s expected. Grocery retailers don’t have to build custom pet food, but they can tailor offers that align with a shopper’s pet purchases and preferences.

Consumers increasingly demand that brands anticipate their needs, especially when it comes to family health and wellbeing. Extending this logic to pet care is the natural next step.

What Do Personalized Pet Care Offers Look Like?

It’s more than just 10% off dog food.

Smart retailers are starting to use customer data to:

• Send birthday treats for dogs or cats
• Recommend complementary items (e.g., training pads with puppy food)
• Bundle grocery and pet items for maximum savings
• Surface timely reminders (“It’s been 4 weeks since your last flea treatment purchase”)

These moments show care and they drive action.

Even better? They nudge shoppers into regular, predictable visit patterns that benefit both customer and retailer.

Pet Care Isn’t Cheap However Loyalty Can Lighten the Load

Pet care costs have risen faster than many grocery categories. Personalized savings give customers confidence they’re making the best choices without overspending.

When a loyalty program recognizes that a shopper’s household includes a dog or cat, and uses that insight to deliver relevant savings, it goes beyond personalization and fosters connection.

And when that connection is reinforced through timely, useful offers, the effect compounds: trust builds, frequency increases, and loyalty deepens.

Turning Insight Into Loyalty

Retailers that tap into behavioral data can identify pet-owning households through existing purchase patterns no surveys or guesswork required.

By applying personalization logic across pet care items, grocers can:

• Boost engagement
• Increase basket size
• Build trust by helping customers care for the whole family

This isn’t about making the program feel smarter, it’s about making the shopper feel seen. Personalization at this level reflects respect for a shopper’s time, budget, and priorities.

And it doesn’t need to be loud or flashy. Quiet, relevant personalization executed consistently is what builds sustainable loyalty.

The Takeaway

Personalization isn’t just about humans anymore. As AI and data drive innovation in the pet care industry, both pet specialty and grocery retailers have a chance to meet shoppers where they’re most emotionally invested in their pets.

Personalized pet care offers turn routine shopping into thoughtful service. And that’s the kind of experience customers remember (and come back for).

Retailers who listen with data and act with empathy will be the ones who win lasting customer relationships one wagging tail at a time.